Only the second Sri Lankan to be nominated to the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church worldwide, 45 years after Thomas Cardinal Cooray, the Most Rev. Dr. Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo is one whose heart is very much with the poor and downtrodden. His elevation as a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI was announced by the Vatican on October 20.
“The treasures of the Church are the Eucharist and the poor,” said Cardinal Dr. Malcolm Ranjith, when the Sunday Times met him at Archbishop’s House, illustrating it with the story of St. Lawrence. “The Roman Emperor asked St. Lawrence to bring him the riches of the Church. St. Lawrence collected all the poor, the beggars and tramps from the streets and took them to the Emperor and said these are our treasures. The Emperor was very angry and ordered him to be killed. And so, St. Lawrence became a martyr.”
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| Most Rev. Dr. Malcolm Ranjith |
Born in Polgahawela on November 15, 1947 to Patabendige Don William and Hettiarachchige Mary Winifred Perera, the young Patabendige Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith had his early schooling at the Roman Catholic Boys’ School, Lunupokuna and De La Salle College, Colombo 15. Joining St. Aloysius Seminary in Borella, he went on to the National Seminary in Ampitiya, Kandy, before being sent to Rome by Cardinal Cooray to continue his theological studies at the Pontifical Urbanian University from where he graduated.
He was ordained a priest in 1975, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome by Pope Paul VI. A most erudite priest, he has earned many ecclesiastical degrees from several universities in Italy and Israel and speaks many languages -Italian, French, German, Spanish, Indonesian Bahasa and a little Tamil, in addition to Sinhala and English.
He has many firsts to his name, as the only Sri Lankan to serve as a Secretary General of a Congregation in the Vatican and an Adjunct Secretary, and as a Papal Nuncio. He has had several national and international ecclesiastic appointments. In Sri Lanka, he served as Auxillary Bishop of Colombo and Bishop of Ratnapura as well as Archbishop of Colombo.
Speaking of the elevation of bishops as cardinals, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says cardinals are selected personally by the Pope. “He may have certain considerations for the selection and may consult others but the ultimate decision is his.” The Electoral College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church consists of a fixed number of 120 Cardinal Electors. Electors are Cardinals, under 80 years who are eligible to vote at the Conclave when a new pontiff has to be elected.
After reaching the age of 80, a Cardinal is no longer an elector but he remains a Cardinal. To maintain the fixed number of 120 Cardinal Electors, the Pope calls a consistory to nominate Cardinals to replace those who have retired or passed away. Of the 24 Cardinals elevated by Pope Benedict this month, 19 are Electors and five are over 80 years. Some bishops over 80 are also elevated as Cardinals in recognition of special services rendered in their ministries.
On November 20, at a ceremony held in the Vatican, the new Cardinals will be given their biretta or red hat by the Pope. On his return Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith will have a thanksgiving service at St. Lucia’s Cathedral.
“Cardinals are people who collaborate closely with the Pope in the universal Church,” he says. “They facilitate universal communion, ensuring unity, under the authority of His Holiness the Pope.” As a Cardinal in Sri Lanka Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says he will continue the work he has been doing as Archbishop and President of the Episcopal Conference. “In my responsibilities as a Cardinal I may have to work with the Holy Father in the international arena.”
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| A Papal appointment: With Pope Benedict |
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says his motto is ‘The word was made flesh’, taken from the gospel. “It means I am a servant of the incarnation of God in human life. In my service as a bishop I wish to bear witness to that by working for the total salvation of man; not only the spiritual but also the earthly wellbeing of human beings, especially the flock entrusted to me.
By this I become a witness of the Incarnation of God. In the scriptures it is indicated that God became man in very humble circumstances. So, while we celebrate the grandeur of the Eucharist, we also must celebrate that God often works with the poor. The Bible speaks of God as the God of the Poor. I have always thought it my responsibility to work for the poor. It is very important to continue in whatever way we can to help our less privileged brethren in their lives.”
Among many other committees, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is the Chairman of the Blessed Joseph Vaz Trust, a charitable fund set up for the poor. He says this trust was set up when Pope John Paul II visited Sri Lanka in January 1995 for the Beatification of Rev. Father Joseph Vaz. When the Pope left Sri Lanka he left a donation for the bishops. The bishops decided to turn this into a trust fund for the poor, along with the balance collected for the Pope’s visit.
Asked about what is closest to his heart in his ministrations, he says, “In the life of every priest, what happens mostly is not what he has planned. What is beautiful in the life of commitment to the Lord is the feeling that He is guiding and shaping it. In this reality, I feel extremely touched and humbled and my faith in divinity increases. We experience how much God acts in your life if you say yes to Him.” He quoted St. Paul who said ‘Our sufficiency is in Him. It is the Lord who makes us sufficient.’ “This has been experienced by me all along.”
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is known to be a forthright person who is not afraid of doing and expressing what he feels is right. “In the end what matters is not what you have collected but what you have been given,” he commented in reply to our question. “You have to make sacrifices. When you do the right thing, you must ensure others are not harmed and that our judgment is coloured by a genuine consideration for the truth. So on certain occasions, I have had to stand up and take decisions which were not very popular. After all, leadership is not about being led but leading.”
Speaking of the Eucharist, he says, “The Catholic Church has a great treasure in the form of its belief in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is according to our belief, the presence of God in our midst in a tangible and physical form. When the priest says ‘This is My Body’, we believe that through the infusion of the Holy Spirit, the piece of bread becomes the very person of Jesus and that it becomes our spiritual food. The Lord wants to be united with us and we are absorbed into His Person and transformed.”
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is a firm believer in the efficacy of Inter-faith dialogue. “We have had a lot of contacts with other faiths,” he says. “The relationships are excellent. Living in a multi-cultural society, we have to appreciate the goodness of other faiths. Variety is beauty. In Sri Lanka, the presence of all religious and cultural traditions is a richness. It can create peace and harmony essential for prosperity for everyone. Having come out of a 30-year war, we know what division can cause. So now it is time to work towards unity in diversity. We have to do this through inter-religious relationships.” |
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